Ionad
The Ionad (Irish for "centre") is a pseudo-scientific and pseudo-historical theory that posits many of the world's innovations have Irish roots. It is difficult to pinpoint the theory's origins, although records of it are known to exist in Brian Boru's time in the 11th century. The theory picked up steam when the Irish diaspora began to take shape during the 18th and 19th centuries, and is still a strong belief among diaspora members even today, with proponents of theory being known as Ionadoirí '''(singular '''Lárionadóir). Scholarly consensus, though is of the opinion that the Ionad has no basis in fact, with many parts of the theory being easily refuted by the facts that are known. Nevertheless, many in the diaspora continue to cling on to the Ionad, and the diaspora's devotion to it has become its own section of research, with sociologists speculating that the Ionad "gives hope to a hopeless people". Origins No definitive origin for the Ionad exists, although it is known that Boru himself wrote a letter claiming that he had to fight for Ireland to "continue the work of the Raidhse". Boru also professed a belief in Irish racial superiority, which he used to inspire his troops. Scholars debate whether or not this is in line with Ionad thinking or if it is more in line with racial sensibilities of the time, as almost everyone believed in their own superiority. After Boru, the English began their slow subjugation of Ireland, and justified their rule by stating they were ethnically Irish. Though there is little doubt this was English propaganda, some scholars believe this is where the Ionad originated, as England's successful campaign may have made the Irish come to believe what the English were claiming. Regardless of the murky origins, the first person to identify as a Lárionadóir was William O'Regal (1711-1801). O'Regal promoted the Ionad theory in order to promote Irish nationalism, using it to assert Ireland's superiority over their English overlords. Not surprisingly, it was also at this time that the first skeptics of the Ionad appeared, though their motivations were strictly political. Because of the English efforts, the Irish- especially the diaspora- began adopting the Ionad en masse, using it like O'Regal did for nationalistic purposes. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, when battles with the English (and later the British) were fiercest, rallying cries to "restore Raidhse" were common, with the Irish wishing to restore their previous glory. After the wars died down and Ireland got divided between the United States of America and Britain, the Ionad became less of a theory to promote nationalism and more of a theory to promote Irish pride, with the common thinking that, "it's okay that Ireland is ruled by someone else- they're Irish anyway". It is this line of thinking that dominates most Ionad thinking today. Tenets Raidhse The chief tenet of the Ionad is the belief in the existence of Raidhse, Irish for "abundance". Because Boru referenced the kingdom, there are scholars who believe Raidhse may have legitimately existed- however, those scholars vehemently doubt it existed to the extent that is claimed in the Ionad. Thus, there are three trains of thought regarding Raidhse- the Ionad interpretation, the exaggerated existence theory and the Raidhse myth theory. Ionad theory According to the Ionad, the kingdom of Raidhse existed from 1470 BC to AD 430, with its high water point being 1402 BC to 715 BC. Raidhse began in a city called Síochána (Irish for "peace"), which is near present-day Dublin. It was founded by the O'Callahan twins (Brian and David), whom, legend has it, were suckled by a she-wolf. Upon the death of their mother wolf, the O'Callahans swore to found a great city in her name, but the twins fought over where the city should exist. However, a horde of bandits approached their settlement and threatened it, leaving the O'Callahans little choice but to fight them. They made their peace- hence the city's name- and soundly defeated the bandits. Since the bandits were so feared in their area, residents from nearby villages came to pay tribute to the O'Callahans, who insisted that the villagers move to Siochana with them. Many refused but enough stuck around to make Siochara a vibrant town. Raidhese expansion came 70 years later, when David O'Callahan's grandson, Julian, invaded a nearby town and captured its women, reportedly because Raidhse had a shortage of women. Julian went on similar adventures, enslaving or massacring towns that resisted him, creating a formidable army in the process. By 1370 BC, all of Ireland was under his grasp, and, two years later, he expanded into Britain. After that, tales of Raidhese expansion vary wildly, often to satisfy the whims of the teller. The more popular version of the legend asserts that after the Raidhese captured Britain, they moved into the European mainland, taking over Gaul before crossing the Rhine and capturing central Europe. Upon getting the Danube, a rogue Raidhese general, Richmond O'Malley, Exaggerated existence theory According to the scholars who assert its existence, the earliest the kingdom of Raidhse could have existed was the 5th century, as a possible explanation for the Scoti people being driven from Ireland and on to attack the island of Britain. It likely did not expand past the island of Ireland, and probably fizzled out a century or two later to create the Land of 1,000 Kings period.